Current Affairs Quiz – December 2025

Notes:
The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) signed three Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with Nagaland Medical Council, Nagaland State Drugs Control Administration (NSDCA), and Nagaland State Pharmacy Council. Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It sets and updates standards of drugs commonly used for treatment of diseases. It promotes rational use of generic medicines via the National Formulary of India (NFI). It prescribes standards for identity, purity, and strength of drugs for humans and animals. It provides IP Reference Substances (IPRS) for accurate drug testing and purity verification.

Notes:
Scottish historian William Dalrymple urged the Maharashtra government to promote lesser-known heritage sites at Ellora Caves. Ellora is located near a village in Maharashtra. Ellora is among India’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The caves show 700 years of Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sufi, and Naga traditions.

Notes:
Trade Enablement and Marketing (TEAM) Initiative is a sub-scheme of Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP), a Central Sector Scheme. Total outlay is ₹277.35 crore for 2024–2027. It uses Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in e-commerce. MSMEs get access to Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) for online stores, digital payments, and logistics. The TEAM portal helps in digital registration and linking with Seller Network Participants (SNPs). It targets 5 lakh Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), with 50% women-owned. The scheme details were shared in Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State for MSMEs.

Notes:
Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) is a Central Sector Scheme for the socio-economic empowerment of six notified minority communities. It focuses on skill development, women entrepreneurship, and education support for school dropouts. It aims to improve employment, livelihood, and leadership skills, and promote traditional arts and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). 3% seats are reserved for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in all components. Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) must ensure 75% placement, with 50% in the organised sector as per National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF). Details were shared in Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of Minority Affairs.

Notes:
Bioremediation means “restoring life through biology” using microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants to clean polluted land and water. These organisms break oil, pesticides, plastics, and heavy metals into safer products like water and carbon dioxide. In situ bioremediation treats pollution at the site, while Ex situ bioremediation treats removed soil or water in a facility. India needs it due to severe river, soil, and industrial pollution and the high cost of traditional cleanup methods. It is cheap, eco-friendly, job-creating, but needs strict safety rules for genetically modified (GM) microbes.

Notes:
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) celebrated its Silver Jubilee (25 years) and released commemorative postage stamps. It was established on 25 May 1998 as an autonomous Research and Development (R&D) institute. It was earlier called the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). It works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences and is located at Vasco da Gama. It coordinates the Indian Antarctic Programme and polar expeditions in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, and Himalayas.

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The Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme was approved on 9 December 2020 to expand Broadband through public Wi-Fi. It aligns with the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 for strong digital infrastructure. Wi-Fi is delivered by Public Data Offices (PDOs) under Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs). As of 26 November 2025, 3,91,599 PDOs (hotspots) are active across India. Reforms by the Department of Telecommunications in September 2024 allow Fiber to the Home (FTTH) use, hotspot aggregation, roaming, and mobile data offload. Existing home and business Wi-Fi can join PM-WANI for income.

Notes:
In December 2025, Bihar Education Minister Sunil Kumar announced the Mukhyamantri Bharat Darshan Yojana for government school students. The scheme is launched by the Government of Bihar to promote cultural awareness, national integration, and experiential learning. It will help students understand India’s history, geography, society, and heritage through real travel exposure. Selected students of Classes 9 to 12 from state-run secondary schools will go on educational tours. They will visit major monuments, cultural centres, and scenic places across India. The scheme expands the earlier Mukhyamantri Bihar Darshan Yojana, which covered only state-level tours for primary and middle school students.

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Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar assumes the chairship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for 2026. India is elected as Chair under the rotational system and will hold the post till 2033. India is among the 14 founding member states of International IDEA. The charge is assumed in Stockholm, Sweden, in the presence of Ambassador Anurag Bhushan. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is globally recognised as a credible Election Management Body (EMB). India has 900+ million voters across 28 States and 8 Union Territories (UTs).

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Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru develop a new method to improve water-splitting catalysts for clean hydrogen production. The key problem addressed is the slow Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) compared to the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER). They work on Coordination Polymers (COPs), made of metal ions and organic molecules, used in electrolysis. Coordination Polymers (COPs) normally show low activity because water blocks their active reaction sites. The team applies argon plasma treatment to create coordinatively unsaturated metal sites. This sharply improves the electrocatalytic performance without damaging structure.